Road Trip: Come to our season openerRoad Trip: Come to our season opener

San Marcos is first 2020 AOPA Fly-In

This may be our second time around in San Marcos, Texas, but the 2020 season-opener AOPA Fly-In will look nothing like the first.

Career Fair: Careers taking off

Explore your options at AOPA Career Fair at San Marcos Fly-In

By Flight Training staff

Aspiring aviation professionals will have an opportunity to speak with recruiters, learn about aviation careers, get résumé-writing tips, and more as part of the AOPA Fly-In featured at Go Wheels Up! Texas, in San Marcos, Texas, in May.

The AOPA Career Fair presented by American Airlines will be held Friday, May 29, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, May 30, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Companies including American Airlines, United Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Mesa Airlines, Republic Airways, PSA Airlines, Envoy Air, Piedmont Airlines, and others will be represented.

In addition to meeting with recruiters from leading airlines and aviation companies, those interested in careers in aviation will also be able to attend seminars from leading aviation companies, on topics such as choosing a flight training pathway; careers in aviation; and résumé-writing, interviewing, and job-seeking. High school and college students, experienced and aspiring pilots and maintenance technicians, and those interested in learning about careers in aviation are encouraged to attend.

Registration is not required, but you must purchase an AOPA Fly-In general admission ticket to access the grounds. Career fair attendees will receive the special AOPA Member Fly-In admission ticket price and are welcome to attend both days of the full event at the AOPA member rate of $15. This is a great opportunity for families to learn about the many career opportunities in aviation while enjoying the fly-in and an airshow and car show at the same time.

We’ve grown (fly-ins are now two-day events), we’ve expanded (pancake breakfasts each day, two days of workshops and seminars, and more entertainment), and we will be co-locating this event with a high-energy, family-friendly celebration called Go Wheels Up! Texas. This year’s San Marcos fly-in on May 29 and 30 will serve up everything you’ve come to expect at an AOPA Fly-In, with a heaping side of music, cars, food, and fun.

Cory Morrow’s Go Wheels Up! Texas is an annual event at the San Marcos Regional Airport, combining the country singer/songwriter’s love of music, cars, and aviation. Morrow and his friend Clayton Corn, a Piper Comanche owner and pilot, planned this event to celebrate all the things they love about Texas. There’s a whole concert series both Friday and Saturday featuring music from Morrow and many of his friends, a classic and muscle car show and parade on Saturday, and two afternoons of airshows presented by local aerobatic pilots. The presenters promise a food festival, warbird display, a best-in-show car competition, and a one-of-a-kind Texas jaw-dropping live stage show.

And while all this excitement is taking place, AOPA will be hosting AOPA members with its time-honored fly-in staples—educational seminars, in-depth workshops, Pilot Town Hall meetings, aircraft displays, exhibitor’s booths, and product demonstrations.

Why you should go: The two-day Go Wheels Up! Texas event is $52 but AOPA members will receive a 70-percent discount, getting access to everything for both days for just $15.

Take the Leap

Something for everyone

In addition to the great music and family friendly vibe of Go Wheels Up! Texas, the AOPA Fly-In at San Marcos will feature special events that include a short takeoff and landing (STOL) invitational competition to showcase the skills and aircraft of backcountry flying, afternoon airshows and a nighttime drone show, a comprehensive career fair presented by American Airlines (see “Careers Taking Off,” p. 52), and so much more.

2020 AOPA Fly-Ins

May 29-30
San Marcos Regional Airport (HYI) San Marcos, Texas

June 19-20
Casper/Natrona County International Airport (CPR) Casper, Wyoming

September 11-12
Rochester International Airport (ROC)Rochester, New York

Destinations: Texas aviation hotels

Cool side trips from San Marcos

By Jill W. Tallman

For a nation that pioneered flight, the United States is a little thin on aviation-themed hotels when compared to Europe. But we have two of the best, and they’re in Texas. If you’ll be attending the San Marcos (HYI) AOPA Fly-In May 29 and 30 (see “Road Trip: Come to Our Season Opener,” p. 22), these might be great add-on trips.

The Hangar Hotel in Fredericksburg, Texas, is built to look like a 1940s-era hangar. Memorabilia, model airplanes, USO history, and more await the aviation traveler, who can land at Gillespie County Airport (T82) and park; you can’t miss the hotel or the Navion that sits in front of it. It’s a 58-nautical-mile flight from HYI to T82.

AOPA member Jay Honeck and his wife, Mary, own and operate Amelia’s Landing in Port Aransas, Mustang Island, Texas. Each room has a unique theme: Red Baron, Amelia Earhart, and Reno Air Races, to name a few. Pilots can get a free shuttle ride from nearby Mustang Beach Airport (RAS), and they have access to not one but two courtesy cars. And, while the airport has no computer weather reporting, the Honecks offer this amenity—plus free Wi-Fi—at Amelia’s Landing. It’s a 131-nautical-mile flight from HYI to RAS.